Vehicle spring



I H. DIXON YEHICLB snnm's Filed April 7, 1922 2 SheetS-Sheet 1 f VVENTUH Sept. 4, 1923'. 1 I 1,466,811'

H'. DIXON VEHICLE SPRING Filed April 7, 1922 2 Sheets-Sh eet 2 reference is to. be had toithef following annnrnixon; or ooLLIuswoon, careers-banana.

' vnnionn seams.

Application fi led April 11922., Serial ird. 550,414.

To-aZZ-wliom it'may concrn: Be it known that I, HENRY :DIXON, of the town of Collingwood, in the county of Sim-v coe and'Province of Ontario, Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and 'use-" ful Improvements in Vehicle'Springs; and I hereby declare that thefollowingis a full,-'

clear and exact description ofthe same.- The present invention consists broadly of an obliquely arranged pair of'springs'contained inan obliquely arranged pair of tele-.

scopic housings, provided with adjustable means for increasing ordecreasing the angle of convergence at will and regulatingthe force of the initial pressure which the springs exert against the load.

In the preferred. construction, each tubular housing is composed of telescopic members, and in each housing is contained a pair of coiled springs. of different lengths, the longer spring of each pair continually exerting its force against said members andthe shorter spring exerting its force against said members when the longer spring is compressed to an extent equal to or. greater than the difference of their respective lengths.

One member of each of the telescopic'housings is hinged to an axle bracket and the other'member of each telescopic housing is provided with an internally threadedsleeve through which operates a screw-threaded rod for increasing or decreasingthe angle of-convergence of said housings and thereby regulatingthe initial pressure exerted by said springs againstthe load.

Encircling each'housing is a bufi'er spring exerting. its'iorce "on said members when theflirs't mentioned springs are compressed. For an understanding ofthe' invention description and accompanying: drawings, in which; p

Fig. l is a sectional elevational view-show;

ing apair of springs arranged at a substantially right-angle to each other,

Fig. 2 is an elevational view showing'the position oftlie parts. when the springs are under extreme compression,

and

Fig. 3 is-an end sectional elevational view taken .on the line 3-3 of either Fig. 1 or Fig.2, 1 l r Fig. tis a fragmentary-side'elevational view of the Fig. -5'is a cross-sectional View on the line 5-5 F g. 2.-

I Like characters of reference refer to'like parts throughout the specification and -drawings; .7 p e m For explanatory purposesfthe device is construction shown in Fig. 3,

hereinafter described and shown in the accoinpanying drawings in connectionjwitli' the rear axle housing of a motor vehicle, and for this purpose brackets 7 and 8' areclamped upon the housing 6, each bracket consisting of a pair of corresponding member-shaving a bore 9 to receive said housing.

The'meinbers of each of the brackets 7 and V 8 when assembled, embrace the housing 6 as shown in F igs. 1 and 2, and arerigidly clamped in position by clamping bolts and nuts 10 passing through the members of each bracket. I Extending inwardly from the inner surface of each of the brackets 7" and 8 is a bore 12 in which is contained the boss 13 of the tubular member 1 1 and passing through the brackets 7 and 8 and through the boss 13 is a bolt 15 which forms a journal on which the telescopic housing oscillates. M

Each telescopic housing .consists oftwo' tubular members 14: and 16'telescopically'arranged as shown in Fig. 1. The tubular member 14 is formed with the boss 13 by means 'of which and the journal bolt 15, the

telescopic housing is oscillatingly connected spring 17 is of greater length than the spring 18 and this spring 17 continually exerts its force against the tubular members 141 and 16 when the stress upon thefde'vioe is not sufficient to fully compress the springi17. hen the stress upon the device is 'sufiicient to compressthe spring 17 to-an extent equal to or greater than the difierence of the re spective lengths of the springs, the spring 18 then exerts its force against said members and assists the spring '17 in resisting the compression.

The tubular member 14 is formed ith the collar 19 in the vicinity of the boss 13 and encircling the tubular member 141 is a buffer spring 2() bearing at one end against the collar 19. The inner end 01 the tubular member 16 is formed with a collar 21. Vvhenthe springs 17 and 18 are compressed to an extent which brings the collar 21 into contact with the buffer spring 20, the latter resists the contracting movement of the tubular member 16 and assists the springs 17 and 18 in resisting the compression. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the two tubular housings and their respective springs are hingedly connected to the brackets .7 and 8 and these housings and their respective springs converge at their hinge connections when the housings are set obliquely to the perpendicular axis of the axle housing. At the upper ends of each of the tubular members 16 is a yoke 22 straddling the cap 23 of its respective member and passing through the cap 23 and theyoke22 is a bolt 24 upon which the yoke pivots. integrally formed with each yoke 24 is a sleeve 25, the axis of which is at right angles to the axis of the bolt 24:. The bores of the sleeves 25 are in axial alignment and are screw-threaded as shown in Fig. 1, and operating through the sleeves 25 is an adjusting rod 26, screw-threaded to mesh with the screwthreads in the bores of the sleeves By turning the adjusting rod 26 in one direction the tubular housings are moved towards the perpendicular as shown by arrow in Fig. 1, and by turning it in the opposite direction they are moved away from the perpendicular. This adjustment oi the, convergence or obliquity of the tubular housings regulates the initial pressure exertedby the springs 17 and 18 against the weight of the load.

When the tubular housings with their contained springs approximate a perpendicular position the springs 17 and 1S exert their maximum force against the load and as they move away from the perpendicular their force decreases as the angle of convergence increases, and if they could be moved to a horizontal position their sustaining force would be negligible.

In the use of the device, the operating rod 26 is turned to adjust the angle of con- .ei'genCe of the housings until the iiexion of the springs 17 and 18 is sensitive to the load which the device is sustaining so that they will. exert an initial pressure against the load of suflicient force to sustain it without any noticeable degree of compression. Under the influence 0t concussion resulting from the movement of the load, the springs will yield and if the impact of the concussion is suilicient to compress the springs 17 and 18 until the collars 21 engage the bullet springs 20, these latter springs will assist the springs 17' and 18 in resisting iurthercom pression. r As shown in Fig. k'bearing brackets 27 are connectedto the body frame 28 ofthe chassis to loosely contain the endsof the adjusting rod :26, and together with the brackets7 and 8 couple the spring device to the chassis. nn' additional-bracket 27 may encircle the adjusting rod 26 between the sleeves 25 if it is found advisable to use this additional bearing.

Nhen the device is free from stress, the tubular housings 'andthe springs approxi mate the perpendicular.- WVhen stress .is applied to the device, the tubular housings telescopically contract and compress the springs 17 and 18, andduring the contraction, move away. from the prpendiculartwf wards the horiiontakthereby decreasing the direct pressure or" the springs upon the load insubstantially the same ratio as the increase of tension resulting from the compression. Thishas the efllect of enabling the springs to exert a pressure of substantially constant force against the load during the,

bound and rebound. of the springsand the maintenance of this pressure'eliminates toga large extent the shocks uponthe load and the apparatus.

Havino-thus fully described my invention,-

what I claimas new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is a e 1. The he'reindescribed device comprising a pair of tubular housings each composed of telescopic inembers, means to which said housings are hlngedly connected, two

springs within each of said housings, one of. which 1s of greater length than the other,

the longer spring continually exerting its force against said members and the shorterspring exerting its force against said members when the longer spring is compressed to an extent equal to or greater than the difterence ogtf'their respective lengths, adjustable means connecting said housings for varying their angles of convergence at will and thereby regulating the-initial pressure exerted by said springs against the weight of the load, and a butler spring exterior to each of said housings and exerting its force on said members when theiirst mentioned springs are compressed. r

2. The hereindescribed device comprising a pair of tubular housings each composedot telescopic members, means to which said housings are hinge dly connected, -two springs within each of said housings, one of which is or" greater length than the other, the longer sprin continually exerting its force against said members, and the shorter spring exerting its force against said mem-F bers when the longer spring is compressed'to an eXt-ent equal to or greater than the difi'erhousings and exerting their force against ence of their respective lengths, internally said members When the first v. mentioned 7 threaded sleeves pivotally connected to said springs are compressed. housings in axial. alignment, a screwr Dated at the city of Toronto, this 18th 5 threaded rod adjustable through said sleeves day of March, A'. D. 1922.

for increasing ordecreasing the angle of e convergence of said housings at will and a V V HENRYDIXON' I thereby regulating the'inltial pressure ex- Wvitnesses; erted by said springs against the weight of STANLEY RIGHES,

2 10 the load, and buffer springs exterior to said GEo'H. Riomis." 1i 7 

